Microsoft Office programs display the last few documents you opened in that program so that you can use those links to quickly access the files. This feature is turned on by default, but you can turn it off, turn it back on, clear, or adjust the number of files that it displays.

If this feature was turned off and you subsequently turn it back on, only the files that you open and save after you turn it on are listed.

If you close a file, and then move it to another location, such as by using Windows Explorer, the link to that file in the program in which you created it no longer works. You must use the Open dialog box to browse to the file to open it. After you save the file in its new location, that link is added to the list.

Keep a file on the recently used files list

Click the File tab.

Click Open to see a list of the recently used files.

Click Pin this item to the list .When a file is pinned to the list, the pin icon looks like this: In older versions of Office, it looks like this:

Tip: Click the pin button again to unpin the file.

Change the number of files that appear in the list of recently used files

Click the File tab.

Click Options.

Click Advanced.

Under Display, in the Show this number of Recent Documents list, click the number of files that you want to display.

Tip: To not see any files in the recently used files list, set the Show this number of Recent Documents list to zero.

Clear unpinned files from the list of recently used files

Click the File tab.

Click Open.

Right click a file in the list, and then click Clear unpinned Documents.